The Opelousas courier., 1887-07-02
CUBAN LAW.
An Incident in Havana Illus.
trating It's Peculiarly.
Persons Deprived Of Liberty for Going to a
Dying Mans Assistance.

Dying Mans Assistance.
The shrill whistle of one of the
Havana policemen attracted the atten-
tion of the people who were dining in
the principal hotel of Havana the other
night, and half of them followed the
clerks and porters cut on the sidewalk.
Directly in front of the hotel is a little
park and near one of the small fountains
was o man writhing about aad digging
his fingers into the ground in his agony.
He moaned constantly. He was dying.
At a distance of perhaps 20 feet from
him were four policemen, with their
arms folded, smoking cigarettes and
keeping an alert eye on all pedestrians.
II q mar approached the poor Wretch
who was dying there he was sternly
warned off. The Americans who had
been dining in the hotel startad toward
the man in the park in a body. but they
were pushed and led back by the hotel
employees amid considerable excitement.
"You mustn't go there" said one of
the interpreters earnestly.
"Why not3' asked a hurley and good
natured Newark physician, moving for
ward again. "The mans got cramps
probably from hupger-and o little aid
now would probably saws his life. !
don't propose to stand here and see him
die"
"No, no. Don't go ever there. Lis
ten to me. I know it will be very scri-
Gus for you if you"
But the Jerscyman pushed ahead, fol-
lowed by his c%ountrymcn, while the in
terprcter rushed into the hotel after an
American merchant who has lived here
for thirty years, and who has a wide
knowledge of Cuban affairs This gem
tleman ran out without his hat and
called to his countrymen in such an au
thoritatiyc way that they returned to the
hotel again slowly.
''stay here" he said shortly, Sand
keep away from all such scenes as that
while you are in Cuba. The Spanish
laws of 800 years ago are still in force,
which call for the arrests of witnesses to
any crime or tragedy
"But the man is dying" protested
the Jcrseymau.
Il can sec that plainly enough. He is
either dying of sickness or he has been
stabbed in the back by some enemy.
The coroner has been sen. for and he
will probably be here in two hours.
Meanwhile, if it is a murder the police
will have to make some arrests to satisfy
their superiors. GM help the men that
they take into custody. Prisoners here
are kept in Jail months and months
and foul jai,s at that-without any rre-
liminary examination or commitment by
a magistrate, and then they are tried
without being allowed to be present at
their trials. Witnesses are not cross
examined, and sentence is executed be-
fore there is a chance for a stay of pro-
ceedings. Look about here. You can
see thousands of people watching that
poor devils death agonics from safe dis
lance. See them staring from housctops,
from behind pillars and half-closcd win
aows. They are not towards, but there
is not n among them that would dare
10 risk the consequences of going to the
all of that unfortunate man."
Que OF. two other old Cuban residents
joined the group, and We finally went
back to the dining-room. The groaning
and moaning OF the man was awful. It
all occurred in the heart of the city of
Havana, and in a situation not unlike
that of the fifth Avenue hotel on Madison
square, New York. I jumped into a
back and drove away from the neigh
borhood when | could stand the thing
longer, and I afterwards learned that
1fter two hours the man died and was
subsequently removed. He had been
stabbed in the side. No effort was made
to get assistance for him by the brutal
police beyond sending for the coroner.
Two men were arrested, and they are
in Jail. Everywhere there is crime.
The Spanish run the city by military
and they make q profound failure
If it. It is undoubtedly the worst
governed city in the world. Three
murders were committed in two days
asst week. The papers had no mention
them. It's against the orders of the
government to print news--[Blakely
Hall.
DasffYfaao coado